Yarn producing apparatus



Aug- 27, 1946- M. o'rToMANo' YARN PRODUCING APPARATUS F11-ed April 9, 1945 iwf Patented Aug'. 27, 1946 l UNIT En STATES PATENT, ol-FICE YARN PRODUCING APPARATUS' Mario Ottomano, Union City, Ni J., assignor to American Safety Razor Corporation,rv Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of -Virgi'nia v Application April 9, 1943, Serial No. 482,383

(Cl. 19a-12x97);V

, S Claims. o 1

- My present invention relates generally to the reduction of filaments of extended or continuous length to short staple lengths, and more particularly to a manner of producing yarn wherein a group of continuous filaments arranged in parallelism are reduced to staple lengths without disturbing that parallelism.

Synthetially produced filaments are formed by eXtruding into fixing baths and the like a viscous mass through the small openings or spinnerettes in the form of laments of continuous length which are then disposed of by being wound on bobbins. A number of the laments are then brought together to form a thick rope-like length (generally .termed a sliver) comprised of a large group of laments of continuous length. In the general practice this sliver is subjected to a guillotining operation which chops the slivers into short lengths to form a conglomerate mass of short staple lengths which are thereafter and by a suitable apparatus reconstituted into a sliver of extended or continuous length however now constituted of short staples arranged parallel and multiplied in cross section toV give the desired thickness (e. gfof theorder of 1) and multiplied lengthwise to give an extended or continuous length. A number of these reconstituted slivers are then subjected simultaneously to treatment in an apparatus termed a gill box wherein the slivers are united into a relatively widev web which is attenuated, combed and then compacted into sliver form. The compacted sliver is then treated by an apparatus wherein it is. combed and then subjected to a further gilling operation in what is termed an intermediate gill lbox wherein a number of the compacted slivers are united into a web which is combed, attenuated and compacted as in the preliminary gill box to again reconstitute a sliver. These gilling operations may be repeated as often as desired or required.

For-purposes of convenience of reference the term sliver will be applied to the yextended untwisted length comprised of a plurality of continuous or extended filaments and the expression reconstituted slivers will be applied to the untwisted extended lengths comprised of short staple lengths.

It has been suggested that the process now employed for Vproducing yarn for synthetically formed laments could be simplified and the apparatus required materially reduced if (a) a plurality of slivers Vcomprised of continuous laments arranged in parallelism were` fedA simultaneously, directed to a gillbox soV that the web formed thereby will be 2 s comprised of continuous filaments and (b) cutting edges be so associated with the faller bars to reduce the continuous lamenlts to short staple lengths incident to and without effecting the normally functioning of the faller bars',` and (c) these cutting edges be of relatively narrow length, and (d) be so distributed across the width and length ofthe gill .box so thatl the reduction will be effected without destroying the continuity of the web.

The general object of my invention is an improved arrangement for associating cutting edges with the faller bars ofthe gill box to effect this reduction.

A further general object of my invention is a distribution of cutting edges whereby the cutting operation is performed so as to effect to a minimum degree the integrity and continuity of the web.

It is a further object of my invention that the cutting edge be presented for a cutting operation of maximum effectiveness.

Another object off my invention is an improved arrangementfor associating a blade holder with a f aller bar.

A further object of my invention is an improved arrangement for associating a blade with a holder whereby the .blade can Ibe replaced quickly and without requiring skill or special tools.

For the attainment of these objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the drawing, wherein:

Figure l illustrates a blade and holder in aci cordance with, ymy invention in position on a faller bar;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure l; Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan View of Figure l on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Figure 1; Figure is a perspective of the blade holder; Figure 6 is a perspective of the blade; and Figure '7 shows one manner of` distribution of the blades among the faller bars.

Beforeproceeding to describe my invention, I will premise that gill boxes are at present generally characterized as follows: they function to attenuate the slivers reconstituted from the short staple lengths into'which the continluous -lilaments are guillotined (inV a typical practice the short staples are of va length of the order of 4" to 6); they are provided at one end with a set of feed rollers between which a number 0f slvers are fed simultaneously'to be formed a uniform v manner.

thereby into a relatively wide web and at the other end with a set of delivery rollers spaced a distance from the feed rollers which may `be of the order of 12"; both sets of rollers are positively driven but at different peripheral velocities and in the practice I have in mind the difference in the peripheral velocities is of' the order of five t one. Y

The length. of the web engaged between the two sets of rollers at any movement, will therefore,

also be of the order of 12" whereas the length of the short staples of which it is comprised, will be of the order of 4 to 6". The short staples which comprise the sliver length engaged between the two sets of rollers, will therefore group themselves as follows: one group of these short staples will be gripped and controlled by feeding rollers; a second group will be gripped and controlled by the delivery rollers; and the remaining short lengths will form a third group which are free'of both sets'of rollers. Because of the accelerated peripheral velocity of the delivery rollers the second mentioned group of short staple lengths will be advanced atan accelerated speed relatively to those of the rst mentioned group and the short staples which comprise the third mentioned group Will respond and more or less casually to the control of factors such as adhesion imposed upon them by the movements of the'other two groups and by other gill box mechanism'to be referred to later. This action attenuates the web.

l Gill boxes are further characterized conventionally by a mechanism positioned between the feed and delivery rollers and generally referred to as the faller bar mechanism and comprised of a group or set of faller bars, each constituted of `a bar positioned parallel to the rollers and provided with one or more rows of pointed needles across its length. The Width of the row Vof needles should be at least equal to that of the web formed from the sliver or slivers as they are passed through the feeding rollers. Y Y 4 `These faller bars travel between the set of feeding rollers and the set of delivery rollers in a path that can best be described as an extremely nat oval whose long dimension is in the direction of the feed of the web and Whose short dimension is approximately vertical. The faller bars in a typical apparatus travel in their elevated position from a point adjacent the feed rollers to a point adjacent the delivery rollers Where they are dropped in succession by mechanism (not shown) to a lower level and their direction of movement reversed until they again arrive in the vicinity of the feeding rollers where they are suddenly projected upwardly one after another into their starting position in the upper level. This'comprises a cycle of travel of each faller bar along a path which has been referred to as a at oval. This path is located generally below the plane through the peripheral lines of contact of the two sets of rollers. This cycle is repeated continuously for the gilling operation. The faller bars follow each other in this path in timed relation and in As each faller bar is pro-V other types which vary somewhat from that which has just beenvdescribed. For example a second type is that known as, the intersection.l

faller bar mechanism wherein a second set of faller bars substantially a duplicate of that already described, operates above the plane between the rollers, the faller bars thereof being moved as described above, and also in timed relation to the movement of the first mentioned set. the needles of both sets of faller bars being projected through the web in timed relation; a third type differs from the first type described in that each faller bar is provided with two parallel rows of spaced apart needles across the length of the `faller bar; a fourth type is like the third type just described, except that the double row of needles are interrupted for a substantial distance t their middle toprovide a relatively wide space to provide two spaced apart sets of double rows of needles and in this type of device the slivers are fed to the feeding rollers so as to form two webs, one to be operated upon by one set of needles and the other by the other set of needles.

I have chosen toV disclose my invention as embodied in a gill box employing faller bars of the aforementioned fourth type which I will now proceed to describe by reference to Figures l and 2 where the faller bar is shown as comprised of a base bar 25 from which projects upwardly the Vneedles 26 as will be more fully stated shortly,

The bar 25 defined by side walls 30 and 3|, end walls 32 and a bottom surface 33 and a top surface 29, all dimensioned, contoured and related precisely as are the corresponding parts of the conventional faller bar to which my arrangement forms an attachment. This faller bar 25 for example is provided with the conventional inclined surfaces 34 adjacent its opposite end walls 32 and with the conventional guiding grooves 35 whereby the movement of the faller bars is effected by the conventional mechanism in a conventional manner. The significance of this is that this faller bar is entirely conventional also as to those characteristics whereby it may be rnoved in a conventional manner and in conventional ltimed and spaced relation to all the other faller bars and is as if it were conventional in all other respects.

Projecting upwardly from the upper surface 29 of bar 25 are four rows of pointed needles 40, 4|, 42,` and 43. The row is adjacent and parallel to side Wall 3! and terminates a substantial dis'- tance short of the middle of the bar. The row 4I is adjacent and parallel to side wall 30 and terminates about the same distance short of the center and its needles being shown as staggered relatively to and longer than needles 4 l. rIhe two parallel rows of needles 42 and 43 to the other side of the faller bar also terminate about the same distance short of the center as do the parallel rows 40 and 4I and are related t0 each other and to the side walls 3D and 3l the same way as are the parallel rows 40 and 4l. Expressed differently, the bar 25 is provided with two spaced apart sets of parallel rows of needles.

In the conventional use of this type of faller bar, a number of slivers are fed along the width of the group of needles 40 and 4| and the second group of slivers are fed to the gill box along the width of the needles 42 and 43 so that two webs are formed and treated simultaneously in a single gill boX, these webs being spaced apart for the space between the two groups of needles.

I will now explain my invention as applied to the two parallel rows of needles 42 and 43 at the right in Figures 1 and 2, it being understood that the description for this half applies equally as well to the other half and which is therefore deemed unnecessary to illustrate.

My arrangementv for associating cutting edges with such. a faller bar comprises a holder 50 shown in Figure 5 anda blade 5| to be engaged thereby for predetermined relation to a group of needles. f

llhe holder 50 is comprised in horizontal cross section of the end or main wall 55, the side walls 56 and the inwardly extending anges 51 which terminate a substantial distance short of each other. The holder is illustrated as open at its top and bottom so that it' can be passed downwardly over a group of needles, the spacing of f its walls andflanges being such with relationshipto the thickness and spacing and the tapered -formation of the needles that as the holder is moved downwardly over a selected group of needles a gradually increasing frictional engagement will be eifected until Ithe holder reaches its nal position of Figure 4 wherein its bottom seats upon the top surface 29 ofthe bar 25. While the holder 50 maybe made of any desired or preferred material, my objective contemplates that its construction or the material of which it is made be such that the engagement with the needles be a resilient one. This manner of engagement will maintain the holder against movement in the plane of .the bar. I will now describe my arrangement for preventing upward movement of the holder. It comprises finger 60 extending inwardly from the wall 6| supported from the holder 50 by ange 62. In the illustrated embodiment the parts 60, 6| and 62 are shown as made as a separate part and as secured to the outer face of the wall 55 by ilange. It can be made integral` with holder 5|! in any desired manner if preferred. It will be observed that ange 62 is substantially in the plane of the bottom of the holder 50.

The aforementioned faller bar which as already stated, is entirely conventional as thus far described, is modified .to the extent now to be indicated for purposes of my invention. A horizontally extending slot 'l0 extends inwardly from the wall 3|. This slot 'l0 is located to register with ringer 6B of the holder when the latter is engaged around a selected group of needles and fully seated on base 25. It will be observed that this slot is shown in Figure 1 as extending for the full length of the rows of needles 42, 43. In addition the side wall 3| is shown in Figure 1 as milled down to provide the two spaced apart depressions '|2 whose purpose will shortly be explained. The needles about'which a holder engages comprise that group in vertical registration with a. milled area 12 and in such engagement wall 6I depending from holder 50 will be countersunk into a depression 'l2 and finger 60 will be received in slot 10. lThe depth of the milling is such that the outer surface of the wall 6|- will be on the level with and in plane of the remaining portion of the outer wall 3| of the basebar 25 and the depth of slot T0 is such thatV finger 60 will be fully engaged therein to thus lock the holder against vertical movement. It will here be pointed out that the elements 60, 6| and 62 comprise between them a spring linger which will yield suiiiciently to permit engagement and disengagementrof the finger 60 from within the slot and of wall 6| from engagement in depression 1.2.

The blade 5| is of a-width so as to be snugly received within the holder 50 and engaged between its side walls 5B and by reference tov Figures 2` and 3 it will be observed that the blade 5| in its assembled relation is engaged between'the 6 c wall 5.5 or the holder'and the group of needles. encompassed thereby.

A preferred manner of assembling the parts is to engage the holder over the selected group of needles in the manner already set forth so that the wall V6| is engaged in a depression 12 and nger 80 is engaged in slot 10. This locates the holder on the bar and also locks it against movement in any direction. The blade is now' forced into itsr position of Figure 3 in between the group of needles encompassed by the holder anda wall V thereof and in this positioning, ythe blade will act as a wedge to prevent such relative movements of the parts as might result from manufacturing variations or deteriorations through use.

My invention further contrnplates that means be provided to prevent the blade from moving upwardly relatively to the holder. The arrangement I provide therefor is shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 and comprises a finger 86 formed by cutting an area of wall 55 along three sides and `then bending inwardly that area as shown in Figure 4. The blade in turn is provided with an opening 8| so located .and dimensioned that when the blade is forced down into the holder to its limit which is when it engages the top surface 29 of the base part, the hole 8| in the blade will be in registration with the lower end of the finger 80. and the lowermost wall portion of hole 8| will be positioned below and engaged by the lowermost edge of the nger to lock the blade against upward movement in its holder. 'I'his of course requires that there be a relative yield between linger 80 and blade 5|. This yield will be provided by one or more of the following: the resiliency of iinger 80; the resiliency of holder'50; the flexibility and resiliency of blade 5|. In Figure 4 the linger 6|) is bent inward only a sufficient distance so as to provide an engagement between the wall defining blade slot 8| and the lowermost edge of finger 80 without however permitting the blade to work its wayin the space between the free lower end of finger 80 land the wall 55 of the holder.

Upon reference to Figure 6 it will be observed that the cutting edgeV is inclined tothe horizontal at a substantial angle which in the drawing is illustrated as approximating 30. I have found thiso'f advantage because it provides the pointed end 86 which first engages the iilarnents and cleaves through the assembled mass to cause those filaments to the right of the point in vengagement with the inclined cutting edge for a shearing cut across the full length of the inclined cutting edge as that edge moves upwardly. It presents the further advantage that it substantially increases the length of the cutting edge without increasing the width of the blade and thus lengthens the life of the former.

The upper edge of the holder which can be described as an incomplete ellipse is cut at substantially the same angle as is the edge of the blade to provide ample and rm support therefor.

To minimize the extent to which this upper edge of the'holder 50 might present projecting edges or surfaces or areas to the filaments, I have rounded off the end wall at the right in 1Figure 5 so that it presents. a curved surface and have cut oif the sharp upper corner at the left in that figure which otherwise would be presented as shown at 6l, 'and then rounding off the corner as shown at 68.

In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown two cuttingV dles 42 and 43 in the right half of the faller bar. Their location and number is entirely exemplary. It will be understood that blades can also be associatedwith the two parallel groups of needles 40 and 4I in the' left half of the faller bar of Figure 1 as will be explained by reference to the pattern shown in Figure 7.

It has been stated that the gill box comprises a plurality of faller bars of which one is shown in Figure 1 and that these faller bars follow each other in a cycle of movement along an upper level from the feed roller t the delivery roller and then are dropped to a lower level along which their movement is reversed until they have reached a position of adjacency to the feed rollers where they are again projected upwardly to complete a cycle. As .each faller bar has completed its reverse movementl and isv projcted upwardly into the upper level, the needles are projected through the web for its full thickness so that as the faller bars advance in the upper level its needles will comb the web. When a faller bar provided with cutting edges as is shown in Figure 1, is projected upwardly, a cutting edge will be caused to engage and cut the group of adjacent laments which are in vertical registration therewi-th and as will be observed from Figure 1, this group is contained within and comprises a relatively narrow width of the web. In the disclosure of Figure 1, the web being treated by the right half of the faller bar, will cut upon such upward projection of that faller bar, for the two narrow spaced apart widths as shown in that figure.

The pattern of Figure '7 is intended to represent the cutting action effected by the vertical projection of all the faller bars through a complete cycle of movement thereof upon that length of the web which is engaged at any moment between the feeding roller and the delivery rollers and which length it has already been stated may be of the order of approximately 12". The pattern width shown in Figure 3 is intended to represent the width of the web .being treated by the right half of the faller bars and its length as measured vertically in thatl gure is intended to represent the length of that web engaged between the two sets of rollers. The numbers at the left represent the cuts effected upon the web section successively during a complete cycle of operation by twenty-four faller bars which are assumed to be comprised in the faller bar mechanism. Y For convenience of reference the web section of Figure '7 is shown as divided into ten sections across its width, each sectionbeing of a width corresponding to the width of the cut effected by a cutting edge. The ten sections are lettered for convenience of identification. This pattern shows thatI faller bar I carries three cutting edges in its right half and therefore effects its three cuts; faller bar 2 carries no cutting edges; faller bar 3 carries two cutting edges; faller bar 4 carries no cutting edge; bar 5 carries two cutting edges; bar 6 carries none; bar 1 carries three; bar 8 carries none, etc. The cuts effected by the cutting edges 85` are shown in this pattern as distributed longitudinally and laterally of the web in this manner. It will be observed that the distribution of the cuts and therefore of the cutting edges for the faller bars I to 8 inclusive is repeated in the group of faller bars-of 9 to I6 e ward the right.

bars during a complete cycle represents-as a repeat three times of the same distribution of cuts and cutting edges so that the narrow length of the web engaged between the rollers represented by one of these letters at the top in Figure '7 is cut three times during a complete cycle so as to reduce the continuous filaments in short staples of a length of approximately 4".

If now the cuts effected in any one of the aforementioned groups of adjacent faller bars which represent a pattern of cuts are projected on a single horizontal line, it will give the resultant of a cut for the full width of the web without substantial overlap and without destroying the continuity of the web. The cycle shown in Figure 'l is repeated as the web is fed through the gill bOX.

Since the cutting operation is performed upon the web at a point v,adjacent the feeding rollers where all the filaments are continuous and under the control of those rollers and are being fed at the peripheral velocity of the feed rollers, the pattern of Figure 7 correctly presents the cycle of cutting even though the short staple lengths may thereafter be subject to relative longitudinal displacement as they are fed at varying speeds.-

The pattern shown in Figure 'l is intended to exemplify one manner of distribution of the cutting edges and one manner of association of the cutting edges with the right half of the faller bars.

It will be understood that the distribution of the cutters on the left half can duplicate that shown in Figure 7 for the right half in which event the patterns will duplicate each other. If desired, the pattern of cuts for the left half of the faller bars can be different from that employed for the right half and the objects of my invention attained. For example, the cutters in Figure l are shown as inclined downwardly to- They can be changed around by being inclined downwardly toward the left, either for some or all of the cutters on the right and also for the cutters on the left.

I have shown in the disclosed embodiment the cutting edge inclining downwardly toward the right. It will be understood that the inclination can be reversed either for all the cutting edges or for any variation that'may be desired.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination with a faller bar defined by parallel side walls and an upper surface from which project a row of needles and means for securing a blade in engagement with a group of adjacent needles of said row for effecting a cutting action upon the upper projection of the faller bar and means for locking said blade against vertical as Well as lateral movement relatively to said needles, said means comprising a blade holder and means for locking the blade to the holder and means for locking the holder to the faller bar.

2. A gill box faller bar comprised of a base bar and needles projecting upwardly therefrom, said base bar being provided with a slot opening outwardly through a side wall thereof and extended longitudinally of the base bar to cooperate with a linger carried by a blade holder supported above the base bar for retaining said blade holder against upward movement and a blade holder having means for securing it to the faller bar comprising a member adapted to engage in said slot. I

9 3. A gill box faller bar comprised of a base bar whose thickness is defined by longitudinally extended parallel side walls, said base bar being Areduced in thickness for a limited distance along its length beginning at its top and extending downwardly therefrom to provide a depression in one of the side walls, and a blade holder positioned above the base bar and provided with a retaining finger received in said depression so as to be countersunk in said base bar and therefore present no protuberance extending beyond said side wall.

4. A gill box faller bar comprised of a base bar whose thickness is defined by longitudinally extended parallel side walls, one of said side walls being milled away from the top for a distance downwardly therefrom and for a limited distance along its length to provide a depression in said side wall, said side wall being provided with a slot which opens outwardly therethrough and extends longitudinally of said base bar, said slot crossing said milled area and a blade holder and means for securing it to the faller bar comprising an inwardly directed finger engaged in said slotV y to lock the holder against upward movement, and received in said depression in countersunk relation to said side Wall.

5. In combination, a holder for securing a blade to the faller bar of a gill box employed in the production of yarn from filaments, said holder being channel-like in horizontal cross section and open at the top and bottom whereby it can be moved downwardly over a. group of adjacent faller Ybar needles to engage thereabout with the bottom of the holder seated on the top of the base bar of the faller bar, said holder having an inwardly directed nger depending therefrom and a faller bar provided with a slot in its side Wall to receive said finger and lock the holder against upward movement.

6. In combination with a faller bar of a gill box employed in the production of yarn from iilaments a blade holder, said holder being channellike in horizontal cross section and open at the top and bottom whereby it can be moved downwardly over a group of adjacent faller bar needles to engage thereabout with the bottom of the holder seated on the top of the base bar of the faller bar, said holder having a depending member and a linger extending inwardly from its lower edge and a faller ybar having one side wall milled down to provide a depression in which said member is received and a slot longitudinally of said milled area in which the nger can engage to lock the holder against upward movement.

7. `A separable attachmentvto a gill box faller bar comprised conventionally of a base and needles for detachably securing a blade to such faller bar with its cutting edge in predetermined relation to its needles, said attachment being made of a sheet material and comprising a wall of a width sufficient to span a group of adjacent needles and of a height less than the length of the needles and iianges bent from the opposite side edges of said wall to extend inwardly toward each other and parallel with and normally spaced from said wall for approximately the diameter of the needles, said wall and flanges defining an expansible unobstructed channel of uniform cross-section and entirely open at the top and bottom, whereby the attachment can be engaged over a group of needles through its open bottom with the group of needles encompassed by the wall and flanges, with the pointed ends of the needles projecting through and beyond the open top of said attachment, whereby a flat blade entered between said wall and the group of needles will be engaged thereby and frictionally held therebetween with its cutting edge located above the top of the attachment and below the pointed end of the needles and means projecting from said wall for engagingthe faller bar base to lock the attachment against vertical movement along the needles.

8. A separable attachment to a gill box faller bar comprised conventionally of a base and needles for detachably securing a blade to such faller bar with its cutting edge in predetermined relation to its needles, said attachment being made of a sheet material and comprising a wall'of a width sufiicient to span a group of adjacent needles and of a'height less than the length of the needles and flanges bent from the opposite side edges of said wall to extend inwardly toward each other and parallel with and normally spaced from said wall for approximately the diameter of the needles, said wall and flanges defining an expansible unobstructed channel of uniform crosssection and entirely open at the top and bottom, whereby the attachment can be engaged over a group of needles through its open bottom with the group of needles encompassed by the wall and flanges, with the pointed ends of the needles projecting through and beyond the open top of Y said attachment so that a flat blade can be entered between said wall and the group of needles engaged thereby and frictionally held therebetween with its cutting edge located above the top of the attachment and below the pointed end of the needles and means depending from the bottom edge of the wall for engaging the faller` bar base to hold the attachment against vertical movement relatively to the faller bar.

MARIO OTTOMANO. 

